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ISSUE 1
JAN ‘17
Dave Inman
Sports Injury Specialist
Mervyn Ettienne
Mental Preperation For Sport
Ian Watson BSc
Sports Hydration And Nutrition
Terry Daly Uechi Ryu
Over 40 Years In Karate
Garry Lever Writes A
Regular Column For
Ippon Magazine
Molly Samuel MBE
Tells Us
WKF WORLD CHAMPION
JORDAN THOMAS
PATH TO GOLD!

Osu,
Is there a resurgence in British Karate again?
Tokyo 2020 and a British World Karate champion
for me I feel an excitement in the air. I want to read
about Karate again, I want to read the stories and
understand the stuggles.
Whats new in coaching?, Whos coming through?,
Who is winning the tournaments?. Olympic sports
have magazines for fans, athletes and officails to
read about the sport they love. Why not Karate?
I want to change that and bring an informative
magazine with great content. And help promote
a possitive image of British Karate. Traditional or
Sports it is still Karate.
This a dip of a toe, that I hope will become a
success and in turn help move forward British
Karate.
Please get in contact if you wish to advertise
tournaments, display results and pictures or want
to submit articles editor@ipponmagazine.co.uk
Thank You & Enjoy
MD :: Ippon Magazine

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IPPON MAGAZINE
Cover Stories
CONTENTS
EXCLUSIVE-Jordan Thomas
FULL INTERVIEW with the current world champion
-Page 14
Terry Daly Uechi-Ryu Over 40 Years In Karate And Still
Producing Champions Page 20
Dave Inman
Discusses Sports Injury Page xy
Molly Samuel MBE
British Womens First World Karate Champion Page 7
Mervyn Ettienne
Dealing With The Pressures Of Competing Page yz
Ian Watson BSc
Sports Hydration And Nutrition Page 7
Garry Lever The Author And Writer Contributes His Own
Regular Column Page yz
Ray Sweeney
Ceo of The Disability
Karate Federation
Page 6
Karate Legends
by Patrick Donkor
Page 7
Albert Forsyth
Sprinting
For Karate
Page 7
Rising Stars
A chat with the Veras Brothers
abouttheir early experiences
Page 7
John Gardiner
Elite Kata Competitor
And Coach
Page ab
Kris Coulter
Talks About Scottish Karate
Page 7
Featured Club
John Tunman and his Shindo
Kai Association
Page 79
Stan Dyson part 1
A Trip Down Memory Lane
Page 99
Cover Photo: PAUL IVES PHOTOGRAPHY paul@paulives-photographer.com
Photos courtesy of Jordan Thomas, Jim Diamond, Terry Daly, Paul Ives Photography, Stan Dyson and Ray Sweeney

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A brief bio of Ray Sweeney
Technical qualifications:
6th Dan Karate, 1st Dan Taijitsu,
Sifu Tai Chi Chuan.
Coaching Qualifications:
Level 4 Karate Coach
(International Master of Karate)
on the European Qualification Framework.
The Disability Karate Federation
Professional Qualifications:
Tutor Adult Education and Training Level 3
Assessor Vocationally Related Training level 3
Tutor and Assessor for 1st 4Sport, English Federation
of Disability Sport and Sports Coach UK:
Disability Sport
Inclusion in Sport
Communications and Social Media
Level 2 Inclusive Martial Arts
Safeguarding of Children and Vulnerable Adults
Inclusive Physical Activity
Active Kids
How to Engage Children in Sport
How to Engage Adults in Sport
RAY SWEENEY
Expertise:
Sport and Recreation Alliance – Education Expert Reference Committee
Sport and Recreation Alliance – Sport and Physical Activity Committee
TAFISA Olympic Federation of Sport for All – Martial Arts Commission
Department of Culture Media and Sport – Expert Roundtable on Disability Sport
Numerous County Disability Sport
Awards:
Sport England Provider of the Year
Coach of the Year Oxfordshire
Project of the Year Buckinghamshire
Person Contributing Most to Sport Oxfordshire
Ray Sweeney is the CEO of the Disability Karate Federation (DKF) which is an innovative Disability
Sports Organisation and registered charity based in the multi-cultural City of Oxford. The DKF is
the largest disability karate organisation in the world and their board contains both disabled and
non-disabled people.
After 12 years in Spain, Ray began his UK coaching career in late 2012 with the idea of using
karate as a vehicle to create social change. His journey led him to become an adult education tutor
and qualification assessor for Sports Coach UK and 1st4Sport. His continuous professional
development has included over 30 disability sport training courses in the last 4 years and he now
also writes OFQUAL regulated qualifications with 1st4Sport on Inclusive Karate and is a speaker on
sport participation at international Olympic conferences
“I believe it is fundamentally important to help other people. I cannot look the other way
when I see someone in difficulty; I have to intervene.
I remember the first day that I entered a dojo. I saw there was something very unusual about
karate and I began to research the history and philosophy behind it, investigating over 250
studies into the positive effects of karate.
The last four years developing the Disability Karate Federation around the world have been
exciting, exhausting, full of smiles and laughter and sometimes tears. There were so many
obstacles in the way but I love a challenge and obstacles are just things to be gotten over, or
under, or around or sometimes smashed out of your way!”
BACKGROUND TO KARATE
“Budo” in Japanese or “Wudao” in Chinese have a deeper meaning than just the English
translation of “Martial Arts”. Budo and Wudao actually mean “the Way of Preventing War”.
Bushido means “The Way of the Warrior”
Karate was founded on the principles known as the “Seven Virtues of Bushido”;
determination, benevolence and compassion, right behaviour and actions, sincerity, integrity
and honesty, and responsibility. But, as Yasuhiro Konishi famously said, “Karate aims to build
character, improve human behavior, and cultivate modesty; it does not, however, guarantee
it”.
Whilst many people see the truth behind Konishi’s insight into some of the people we come
across in today’s karate, it is interesting to note that modern sports have created their own
versions of the Seven Virtues.
Karate was designed to provide physical activity for life. The black belt system traditionally
starts at 16 years old for a person`s first black belt and athletes may attain the final 10th
degree when they reach a minimum of 74 years of age, after a lifetime of practice. For me,
karate should be seen not just as physical activity, but as the beginning of a lifetime’s journey
of education and continuous self-improvement.
I believe that it is important not just to talk about the values of martial arts, but to live by
them and therefore these principles have become the philosophy which underpin the work
of the DKF especially in the role of education, being a role model, nourishing character and
developing further life skills. (cont...)

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IPPON MAGAZINE
BACKGROUND TO THE DISABILITY KARATE FEDERATION
RAY SWEENEY
Karate is not the object of what we do, but martial arts are iconic and they are fun.
Everyone has heard of Bruce Lee, the Karate Kid or Kung Fu Panda, everyone has
attempted that karate chop. Ever popular and with wide appeal, martial arts have the
potential to create profound social change.
In accordance with our constitution, karate is the vehicle we use to create outcomes
in physical and mental well-being and personal development, and how we build and
strengthen inclusion in traditional communities and the new modern communities of
social media. We use karate to create volunteering, education and employment
opportunities for people who are disabled, disadvantaged, suffering from mental
illness, infirmity or living with poverty. Karate is also as vibrant, engaging and relevant
to children and young people today as it has always been.
Itosu, Funakoshi, Mabuni, Ohtsuka, Miyagi; each innovator in karate has wrought great
change and these changes gave karate a lead over many other forms of physical
activity. The world has moved on from those days and karate must adapt to the
modern world and adopt modern inclusive coaching practice if it is not to be side-lined
by other martial arts and sports or physical activity.
Many people talk about how karate is “not a business” but the reality is that it always
has been, just as sport is a business. The DKF is professionally run by people with the
right experience and qualifications. We believe a high Dan grade does not qualify
someone to run an organisation. High dan grades are awarded when someone is old
enough and that is not a qualification.
Board members should always have current and relevant skills in policy development,
accountancy/financial, business administration, business development, business
management, IT, HR and coaching. Every action of the board, every single policy must
begin with Safeguarding as the highest priority. To fulfil the latest requirements of
good governance in sport, Board members are non-executive volunteers whilst the
executive members are employees. The Board also reflects the population in terms of
the number of women and the representation of disabled people and people from BME
groups in society.
Research suggests that the success of physical activity programmes for persons with
disabilities are mediated by the interaction of the subject and the pedagogical
knowledge of the teacher/coach with the population served. Coaches and instructors
frequently cite a lack of professional education and instructional support as barriers to
their inclusion of all people in their programming.
It is evident that a black belt is not a coaching qualification but a measure of someone’s
technical ability.
One of the ambitions of the DKF is to increase confidence, physical competence and
physical activity levels among people from every background but specifically persons
with a disability in the UK by increasing the quality of coach education and
accreditation in the martial arts.
We have put high-quality coaching at the heart of everything we do to create an
athlete-centred model. The DKF is a Recognised Centre for 1st4Sport Qualifications
and a Workshop Partner with Sports Coach UK. The DKF coach education department
has trained and educated four Tutors and two Assessors, has Internal Quality Assurance
and qualifications are externally verified by 1st4Sport and regulated by OFQUAL.
We are currently working with a group of partners including UNESCO, 1st4Sport and
the European Commission to create new Inclusive Coaching qualifications on the
European Qualification Framework. We are also about to launch an innovative new
1st4Sport Inclusive Activator qualification that aims to dramatically increase
participation in karate, signposting new participants to properly qualified coaches
The DKF employ people with relevant and current skills which the board lacks; sport
scientists, strength and conditioning coaches, qualified coaches, coach educators,
assessors, IT specialists, process managers, process engineers, social media experts and
marketing experts.
WHAT WE DO - OVERVIEW
The DKF take karate into disadvantaged communities all over the UK and work with
organisations and disabled people to help them tackle their issues and motivate them
to take steps towards better health, recovery and independent living. We decrease
the number of physically inactive people by taking our sessions to wherever there is
a need. We have moved the furniture aside to run regular sessions in classrooms and
offices, we have run sessions in a field and even in a hotel conference room. The big
focus is FUN!
We promote healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle, and also offer opportunities to join
mainstream sessions to provide some of the essential elements towards inclusion.
The DKF organise Festivals of Martial
Arts which are free for every athlete.
Young non-disabled athletes are
encouraged to volunteer and assist
each disabled athlete in performance of
their skills and to follow the Activator
Coach route. Everyone can participate,
everyone can achieve and everyone can
enjoy the feelings that achievement
brings. Most of all it’s FUN!
(cont...)

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IPPON MAGAZINE
RAY SWEENEY
Every person receives the same medal and a certificate. There is no podium but 1st
2nd and 3rd place are recognized to encourage an athlete development pathway, with
everyone else receiving 4th place. The atmosphere is one of celebration of the skills of
martial artists rather than a competition. After the Festival we hold a free celebration
buffet dinner for everyone.
We are working with the European Commission and University College London to
develop a martial arts themed social media app that can be safely used by young
people and disabled people and will teach them how to be secure when online. It will
give them access to circles of friends and enable them to overcome communication
barriers such as an inability to type, hear, speak, see or read.
INDIVIDUAL AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
(left)
DKF Officials Malcolm
King and Peter
Edwards with
another winner
(right)
Owen Murray MBE
6th Dan karate
and twice European
champion awarding
medals
We bring members of different UK communities together to travel abroad and meet
disabled and non-disabled young people from other countries. We investigate topics
such as their sense of community and social media. We introduce people to
photography, video, apps that can assist communications, values in martial arts and
create international cross-border friendships to widen their community. The DKF also
run international festivals each year as far afield as Indonesia and Korea. All of this we
provide free of charge.
MEASURING IMPACT
Technology and insight are at the centre of what we do and drive the design of our
offer so that we may best meet the needs of our participants. With the support of
cloud-based Microsoft Foundation, Salesforce and Sage Foundation, all of our systems
are fully integrated into our online CRM. The Football Foundation provide us with their
Upshot software to enable us to measure our impact, gain feedback from our
participants and show our performance against KPIs
Four years ago I began with just an idea, one disabled athlete and no funding. Today
we have created participation for thousands of disabled and disadvantaged people all
around the world, have won numerous awards.
We have changed perceptions of disabled people and changed their lives
My Top Tip for 2017? There are some truly inspirational people out there in karate
“Judge people by their actions and not their words”
Neil Adams (pictured left) 8th Dan judo and World and European judo
champion and Olympic silver medalist, celebrates with a DKF student
-Find out more on their website
www.disablitykarate.co.uk

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IPPON MAGAZINE
JORDAN THOMAS

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JORDAN THOMAS

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JORDAN THOMAS

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IPPON MAGAZINE
RISING STARS
The Veras Brothers are 3 boys from London making their way around Europe,
tearing up the Karate tournemant scene. Their father Raphael, is a Brazilian, former
World Shotokan Champion, and he is leading their journey to stardom. These boys
don’t just practice Karate, they also train in Judo, Boxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and I
caught up with them.
Luan: 12 years old and a Brown Belt 1st Kyu
Liam: 11 years old and a Purple Belt 2nd Kyu
Luca: 9 years old and currently a Green belt 3rd Kyu.
MIchael Day: Hi Luan, Liam, Luca and Raphael and thank you for taking the timeout of
you busy schedule to talk to me.
Luan: Hi Mike
Liam: Hi
Luca : Hi
Raphael Veras: Hi Mike no problem at all and thanks for doing this with us.
Raphael Veras with Luca (left), Liam (centre) and Luan (right) after another successful medal haul
MD: It seems like every time I open facebook I see more and more medals being won
from these three boys but not just in Karate but also Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and
I have just seen recently that they have started boxing. That’s impressive for boys of
such a young age why so many fighting arts?
RV: They all started with judo training in 2010 to help them with some Karate
techniques, But because they enjoyed Judo so much they started competing as well.
We are big UFC fans and follow loads of MMA fighters so naturally they asked me to
train in the fighting arts that make up MMA. They started the Boxing in January 2016
but have not competed yet due to not having the time. They started BJJ last year
under Kywan Gracie, member of the famous BJJ Gracie Family, at the London
Shootfighter dojo, and are now doing their boxing there too with a very skilful boxing
instructor, who has won many national titles. I thought the time was right, as many of
the groundwork techniques will definitely sharpen their skills in judo. They love taking
part in Judo and BJJ competitions and this year we will be stepping up their training to
be even more successful at those arts. But Karate is their first love, they all started at
three years old and we want to achieve even more this year.
MD: You must spend many hours out of the house for training and do many miles for
the competitions, take me through a normal weeks training for the boys?
RV: Last year was mad for us to try and manage our time to dedicate to the boys
training and competitions. Now with BJJ and boxing training taking place at the same
venue it will be a lot easier.
RV: Monday Karate North London, Judo
West London, Tuesday Boxing then BJJ East
London, Wednesday Karate, Thursday
Boxing and BJJ, Friday Karate and Judo,
Saturday Karate and Judo or competing,
Sunday day off or competing.
MD: Wow that’s a lot of training?
RV: They love it Mike, they just want to
train.
MD: I can relate to that. My son plays or
trains at football 6 days a week. I have
always said it is his choice, and if he wants
to stop that’s also his choice. It is better
than being stuck on a games console
RV: Exactly, I want them to do what they
love and lead active lives.
MD: You seem to have a clear plan for the
boys?
RV: Their training is progressing well and
with the Judo etc it gives them extra skills
and knowledge where it takes them is up
to them, we are on the right path with
(cont...)

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IPPON MAGAZINE
RISING STARS
(cont...)
the best team of instructors and coaches, who believe in their future in the sport. We
also have a sports nutritionist who works with them on a regular basis.
MD: Well I am fully behind you and can see all these boys going on to great things.
Lets have a chat with the boys.
MD: Who are you favourite Karate competitors?
Liam: Rika Usami for Kata and Rafael Agayev for Kumite.
Luan: For Kata Antonio Diaz, the legend Wayne Otto,
and David Benetello Kumite.
Luca: Enes Erkan for Kumite and Luca Valdesi for Kata.
MD: You all compete both in Kata and Kumite, but
which do you prefer?
Liam: I like both
Luan: I enjoy Kata but I feel the Kumite, the combat is
definitely what I enjoy most.
Luca: I like both but prefer fighting.
MD: What is you favourite Kata and why?
Liam: Unsu. I really enjoy working on it and performing
it.
Luan: Gankaku, becuase it is a stylish Kata and I feel
confident with it.
Luca: I enjoy the momentum of Gojushiho-sho and
focus on this kata more in training.
MD: The same question about Kumite techniques?
Liam: Kizami-Zuki. I like this beacuse I score with it a lot.
Luan: Ura-mawashi-geri is mine, because it scores high
making it easier to win.
Luca: A combination of mawashi-geri with
ushiro-ura-mawashi-geri. This makes me feel good
when I score because it looks cool.
MD: What do you love about Karate?
Liam: Karate is my life and since I have an understaning
about life I just live it.
Luan: Without Karate I would not have the skills for
what I want to achieve in the future.
Luca: Karate has given me big opportunities to travel
around the world, meet new friends, learn new cultures
and win big titles. (cont...)
Luan:
“I like to
test my
skills and
ensure
that i am
doing
the right
training.”

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RISING STARS
(cont...)MD: What do you love about competing?
Liam: When I win, I know the training that I am doing is working, if I lose I know I must
train harder.
Luan: I like to test my skills and ensure that i am doing the right training.
Luca: It feels great to be on the mat and in the arena demonstrating my skills. I like it
when I win it makes me feel happy.
MD: What do you want to achive in Karate?
Liam: I want first to become WKF World Youth Champion then youth and senior
Olympic Champion and WKF World champion and with my brothers I want to do team
Kata and be World Champion.
Luan: Yeah the same as Liam.
Luca: The same, we want to win everything possible.
MD: You must have loads of trophies and medals, where do you find space for them
Raf?
RV: (laughs) This is a tricky one! There are hundreds we have them in the backyard in a
shed until we find a better place for them.
MD: You have travelled all over Europe competing tell me where you have been?
Liam: France, Turkey
Luan: Croatia, Belgium
Luca: Luxembourg plus all over the UK?
MD: Now big question Karate World Champion,
Boxing World Champion, Judo World Champion,
BJJ World Champion or UFC Champion?
Liam Karate first who knows with the rest maybe.
Luan: Karate but maybe after I will try for the others.
Luca: Karate for sure.
MD: Thanks guys this has been a real insight.
All: Thanks Mike.
We would like to thank all who in various ways
influenced our ways of overcoming difficulties and
achieving great results. We would like to wish all
family members, friends, followers and supporters, a
2017 blessed with health, peace and success, having in
mind that we always reap what we sow!
-Raphael, Luan, Liam & Luca
The reason I started this was to hear these types of stories again. What a pleasure it
was hearing these three young lads talk about the sports they love. The whole idea of
sport participations is happy kids enjoying exercise and keeping fit. In todays
electronic world kids find it all too easy not to participate in sport and that worries me.
Sports professionals encourage participation in multiple sports. Wayne Otto used to
incorporate different sports into his training, there are youtube videos of him sprinting
as an example. Jordan Thomas works with sprint and hurdles coaches to improve his
Karate.
Incorporating Judo, Boxing and BJJ into Karate training will without a doubt help them
reach their goals.
These boys have won everything they can win, In both Kata and Kumite. They have
won so many National and International titles it would take a full edition of this
magazine to list them all. So instead here is a link to a recent video posted on line.
https://www.facebook.com/officialverasbros/videos/1202023739845611/
I have no doubt we will see much more of these boys in the future. And personally
look forward to watching them grow and fulfil their dreams. Hopefully we will see
Karate stay in the Olympic program and then see these lads become Olympic Gold
medallists.
It’s so refreshing to see the passion in such young lads, they work so hard. We wish
them all the best for the future.

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TRADITIONAL KARATE
IPPON MAGAZINE
Gu-Do - A Hunger For The Way
As we head toward unprecedented territory of karate’s inclusion to the Olympics in 2020, it is
important to ensure the art does not go the same way as Judo and Taekwondo, which arguably have
become primarily sports as opposed to martial arts, largely devoid of their original intent. Long
before karate ever had any competitive aspect, it was an art of civil defense used by body guards,
military, and police within the Ryukyu Kingdom; of which the island of Okinawa was the capital.
Whilst inclusion in the Olympics has the great potential for positive growth, it also carries the risk
that the rich history and depth of the art might be lost in favour of a superficial version with a limited
shelf life.
Once an athlete is past their prime, what then? Continue as a coach? Give up the art? Become a
karate politician? Know that there is more, and that in Okinawa, the home of karate, it is standard
practice that a karateka will continue to train until the day they die. As a matter of fact, some of my
teachers were over 70 years old and still practicing on a daily basis. The competitive aspects of sports
kata and kumite comprise of only one portion of karate.
Our rich art consists not only of tried and tested practical fighting techniques, but also a fully
functional support regime of strength, conditioning & flexibility exercises, 2-person drills, injury
prevention & rehabilitation, psychology, tactics & strategy, philosophy, and weaponry. It truly is a
lifetime’s study which can grow with us long after we’ve past our supposed prime. It was said in
karate circles that you did not peak until you hit 50 years old!
The First Systemised Okinawan Karate
The kata of Goju Ryu such as Suparinpei, Sepai, and Kururunfa have become some of the most
frequently performed within the competition circuit, yet few are aware of the totality of the system
from which they come. Miyagi Chojun, the founder of Goju Ryu, was one of the first teachers to
formally name his style and create a full training syllabus which was intended to make the kata easier
to understand. Prior to him, karate was taught in a more haphazard manner, consisting of 3 or 4 kata,
and a few seemingly unrelated 2-person kumite and conditioning drills. The art was taught in secret
behind closed doors, and you had to be ‘in the know’ and of the right family lineage in order to gain
access to what few teachers there were. As a result, in the early 20th century the art was in decline,
and visionaries such as Miyagi Chojun, Itosu Anko, Mabuni Kenwa, and Funakoshi Gichin sought to
modernise the art in order to make it more accessible for its future preservation and growth.
Opening karate to the public meant there needed to be a bridge to take a novice of zero experience
to a position where they could become fully operational in the space of a few years. As a result,
in-depth research was conducted into physical calisthenics and weight training bespoke to the
requirements of karate. If we look at photographs from that period, we can observe common traits in
the physicality of the performers. This would become known as ‘the karate body’. So influential was
this image that, even now, if you inform somebody of an older generation in Okinawa you practice
karate they will look at your knuckles and check the size of your shoulders!
Focusing upon the art of Goju Ryu, its founder Miyagi Chojun developed a system of calisthenics
known as Junbi undo, which fully developed the ideal body type to support karate technique. Literally
every part of the body is exercised through a series of demanding movements, taking around one
hour to complete. It incorporates elements of Yoga, Chi Kung, plyometrics, isometrics, calisthenics,
and martial technique in a systematic format. This was Miyagi’s piece de resistance, and although
certain elements are shared throughout various schools of Okinawan karate, the junbi undo of Goju
Ryu are arguably the most comprehensive.
Supporting this were the Hojo Undo traditional weight training apparatus. Using variations of the
Indian Club and the Kettle Bell such as Chi’ishi and Ishi Sashi, movements are performed with
equipment to enhance the power generation and full body integration in martial technique.
These two supplementary practises are intended to develop the ‘karate body’ which becomes the
motor to drive the fighter. Without this, it is more difficult and time-consuming to fully develop
the specific power generation and body articulation. The ideal karate practitioner should have the
strength of a weight lifter, the agility of a gymnast, and the grace of a ballet dancer.
Kakie is both a strengthening exercise and Okinawan karate’s unique form of free-fighting. In the old
days challenge matches were referred to as kaki dameshi, and kakie developed from this
tradition. Containing aspects of sticking hands, pushing hands, joint locking, striking, chokes, throws
& groundwork; kakie allows for the full repertoire of kata application to be performed against a
non-compliant partner.
Tai Tanren refers to body forging through which various parts of the body are struck either using a
partner in pre-arranged drills, or with equipment. This is likened to ‘arming the system’ so that every
technique and striking tool is operational and able to be used with full power. Techniques in the kata
such as nukite (spear hand), Shoken (single knuckle fist), and Sokusen (kicking with the big toe), can
seem unrealistic, but if properly conditioned, they can become fully functional and give karate a
brutal edge in a real encounter.
These comprise the main supporting
practises of traditional Okinawan
karate which combined, help create
the well-rounded karate fighter.
Over the coming months we
will explore these areas in greater
detail with specific examples to
implement in your own training
regime.
Garry Lever
Jissokan Dojo
Okinawa Goju Ryu Karate
Matayoshi Kobudo
Garry Lever has studied Goju Ryu in Okinawa, Japan and beyond from some of the worlds leading
authorities in the arts. He specializes in the ‘old ways’ of Okinawan Karate and is the founder
of the Jissokan dojo based in London. He has written numerous works such as ‘Karate: Parting
The Clouds With Empty Hands’, and is co-author of ‘The Essence of Goju Ryu - Vol 1 & 2’.
Find out more at www.jissokan.com and his blog at www.jissokan.blogspot.com

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BRITISH KARATE LEGENDS
IPPON MAGAZINE
by Patrick Donkor - BILLY HIGGINS
Billy Higgins may not have as high a profile as some other British karateka of his
generation. However, among his peers and those in the know, he is highly respected
and one of the best tournament fighters Britain has produced. A very skilled fighter,
famed for his lightning fast techniques, he enjoyed a long and distinguished
competitive career at international level. He is the winner of multiple titles at European
and World level.
William ‘Billy’ Higgins was born on 14 August 1945 in
Bootle, England. At school he had been a keen boxer. He
had also been interested in football and gymnastics.
In 1965 Higgins and a friend witnessed a free-sparring
session at a Wado-ryu class run by Martin Stott. They
were so impressed that they joined Stott’s club the next
night.
Higgins threw himself into his training and by 1970 had
earned his 1st Dan in Wado-ryu Karate. By 1972 he had
earned his 2nd Dan. However, he was beginning to run
into issues with his training. To get advanced training
meant travelling south to London from Bootle, situated in
the North West of England. London was where he could
train with senior instructors such as Wado-ryu master, Tatsuo Suzuki. This was proving increasingly
difficult to do.
Higgins competitive career had began on the local tournament scene from the time he was a purple
belt. He was eventually called up to represent the national side. In 1970 he represented Great Britain
at the European Karate Championships held in Hamburg, Germany. As part of the squad he awarded
a bronze medal in the individual kumite event.
In 1972 Higgins switched styles from Wado-ryu to Shotokan Karate. He joined the Karate Union of
Great Britain (KUGB), training at clubs based in Liverpool and Kirby.
At the 1972 European Karate Championships held in Brussels, Belgium, Higgins was part of the
British team that lost to the eventual winners, France, in the Team Kumite final. That same year he
came second in the kumite event at the WUKO All Styles World Championships held in Paris.
In 1975 Higgins captained the British All Styles Karate team, managed by Steve Arneil, at the World
Championships held in Long Beach, California. The team also included Terry O’Neill, David ‘Ticky’
Donovan and Bob Rhodes. The team became the first non-Japanese team to be crowned Team
Kumite World Champions. That same Higgins was also crowned European Karate Champion in the
-75kg kumite event, held in Ostend, Belgium.
Higgins continued competing into the 1980s. He was a part of the team that won a Team Kuite
title at the 1981 European Championships. In a stellar tournament career his major honors
include:
World Championships, Individual Kumite – 2nd place (1972)
World Championships, Team Kumite – 1st place (1975)
World Championships, Team Kumite, 3rd place (1972, 1977, 1980)
European Championships, Individual Kumite – 1st place (1974, 1975,1976)
European Championships, Individual Kumite – 2nd place (1974)
European Championships, Individual Kumite – 3rd place (1970, 1973)
European Championships, Team Kumite – 1st place (1974, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981)
European Championships, Team Kumite – 2nd place (1972)
European Championships, Team Kumite – 3rd place (1977)
On retiring from competitive Karate, Higgins eventually became a coach for the English
Karate Board (EKB) squad and also a squad coach for the KUGB Scottish and Southern
Regions. Currently ranked as an 8th Dan, he is a Grading Examiner and qualified international
referee. In 2007 he was part of the coaching setup, including Andy Sherry, which coached the
British team to European and World Championship titles.
-Patrick Donkor
Find more amazing pieces at http://findingkarate.com/
1976 saw Higgins continue his
dominance at the European Karate
Championships.
At the championships held in
Tehran, Iran, he won medals in the
individual and team kumite events.
In the same year he was crowned
European All styles kumite
champion.
In Black Belt Magazine’s 9th
Annual Yearbook, published in
October 1976, Higgins alongside
fellow Englishmen Eugene
Codrington, Brian Fitkin and Ticky
Donovan, was named as one of the
“Top Ten European Karateka”. Since
1973 he had regularly featured in
Black Belt Magazine’s top ten list.

16
A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE (part 1)
IPPON MAGAZINE
I first became aware of karate whilst standing in our
local library as a 14-year old in 1959. I was into really
weird books at that time like reincarnation,
spiritualism, UFO’s etc. And I was just picking up H. P
Blavatsky’s ‘The Secret Doctrine’ a monster of a book
that I had specially ordered from the Chief librarian at
the check-out counter. He commented ‘Well, I don’t
know how you’ll get on with this one?’ Suddenly I
was distracted by one of the new book covers that
were pinned to the wall with about 20 other ‘new in’
covers just behind the librarian. It was ‘The Manual of
Karate’ by E J Harrison. I was sort of transfixed by it
leading to the librarian again saying ‘I said I just don’t
know how you’ll get on with this one?’
I replied ‘What’s that book cover on the wall ‘Karate’
(pronouncing it ‘car-rate’). He looked behind and
replied ‘Oh, that’s a new sports book about a new self
defence system and the proper pronunciation is
‘Car-Rate-ee’; we were both wrong! I was puzzled
why I was so fascinated by it and hired it out.
Thinking I could maybe learn this new self defence from a book I read through it and showed it to
my school mates boldly boasting that I’d learnt a lot and to be careful from now on. Within a month
the book was back at the library and it would be another eight years before I came in contact with
karate again.
In 1967 I was a premier division table tennis player and having already won the Silvertown & District
Business Houses singles and handicap titles a few years earlier I was now playing in two different
Essex Premier Division leagues and representing my town in Essex inter-league matches in what was
for me my dedicated lifetime sport. It was February 1967 when I was team captain playing a league
match in the huge Standard Telephones & Cables works canteen. Strict silence was the order of the
day in competitive play.
Suddenly about halfway through the match a long line of guys in white pyjamas came marching into
the other end of the canteen chatting and larking about. I shouted out ‘Quiet please, its a league
match going on here!’ About 5-minutes later a guy wearing a black belt entered and all hell broke
out when he got them all doing punches and kicks with a loud scream with every action. I ran down
to speak to the guy and asked who gave him permission to use the canteen when it’s already
occupied by league table tennis matches. He replied that it was the STC Sports Club Secretary. He
did understand the difficult position and agreed that we could sort it out tomorrow with the
companies sports club secretary. For the duration of our table tennis match the guys practising
punches and kick just expelled a ‘Ooosshh’ sound instead of a loud shout.
The guy who arranged that session worked in our wages dept and called into my office the following
day to confirm that their practice night had been changed and he apologised. He invited me to have
a free first lesson at his karate club. ‘So that’s what they were doing’ I thought as my mind went
back to the E. J. Harrison karate book.
I declined the free lesson offer, but then a week later after his offer kept popping back into my head
I told him I’d give it a try.
It was March 1967 and I was standing outside ‘The Gore Community Centre’ waiting with others to
join the karate club. There was a guy standing alongside me with a transistor radio hanging from his
bike and suddenly a song came on that to me was absolutely amazing. I asked him who was singing
it and he replied ‘That’s Pink Floyd and their debut single ‘Arnold Layne’. I replied that I hadn’t heard
it on my radio indoors and he said it was only played on Radio Caroline.
So, on that fateful evening not only did I find a new sport but a new lifetime favourite group and a
new radio channel to tune into. The club didn’t have a beginner’s course, you just had to sort of join
in with the exercises and try and keep up with the training with the help of a brown and green belt
that were wandering about correcting you.
The instructors name was George Stubbings and he was both a judo and karate black belt. He
explained to us that the style was Wado Ryu and that it would be Japanese instructors that graded us.
He said that we would be required to have a licence to train and that the licence would contain the
dates of our paths up towards black belt. I quite enjoyed the training and it came easy to me.
I continued to keep up with my main sport
of table tennis and after a few weeks of
training in casual clothes my Gi and first
red belt had arrived. I enjoyed learning
the kata and passed my first grading after
the Japanese instructor Mr Shiomitsu came
down to grade the club. About 3-months
had passed since I joined the club and
having succeeded in passing my first grade
it was now time for some free fighting. In
my first individual sparring I was facing
a green belt, quite a bit heavier than me.
After some bobbing about he suddenly
swept away my front foot and punched me
hard in the head. I just lay on the floor,
dazed. I saw the guy rubbing his fist
afterwards and thought if that hurt your
fist what do you think it did to my head?
I decided that karate wasn’t really for me
and I didn’t go back for a couple of weeks,
continuing with my table tennis. Then as
if a light suddenly turned on in my head I
realised that I had to go back, otherwise I’d
look upon myself as a coward for the
rest of my life. I put up a punch bag in my garden shed practising all of the kicks and punches and
progressed though my next grading with Mr Shiomitsu to yellow belt. I even had the opportunity to
spar with Mr Shiomitsu, which to say the least was an experience.
He had ‘banned’ cricket boxes as groin protectors as he thought it made you a bit lackadaisical about
effectively blocking groin attacks. One graded guy clearly didn’t pay any attention because after
twice just stopping two groin kicks without contact Mr Shionito gave him just a light tap to show he
could have struck home and immediately stopped the sparring shouting, ‘Box, Box?’ He then bent
down tapping the groin area nodding saying ‘Box, box.’ The next ‘Box’ kick he did really make the
guys eyes water!
By now I realised that I wasn’t progressing as fast as I wanted to and started visiting other karate
clubs. I was now really enjoying the sparring and visited a different Essex club where there was a lot
of sparring. There was a good blue belt there who told me that I was really also wasting my time
training at that club and that I would be better off training further afield and he suggested that I visit
a Club at Forest Gate over the top of The Eagle & Child pub that was run by a top black belt named
Peter Spanton.
(part 2 continues in next months issue)

16
IPPON MAGAZINE
It gives me great pleasure to be writing a small
article to raise awareness of the importance of
Scotland’s development in the World of Karate.
Karate in Scotland continues to go from strength
to strength as a result of the strong ethos between
Scottish Coaching staff and athletes. I know that
we have some of the best senior coaching staff in
the world including; Hamish Adam MBE Director of
Sport, Senior Head Coaches – Gerry Fleming and
David Coulter MBE. They have not only achieved
world and European Titles as fighters themselves
with the British Team, but have produced
World/European champions as coaches. We continue
to invest in the youth of today as they are the future
of Karate. The senior squad have moved through
the ranks of our coaching development system and
are happy to share their knowledge with the Junior
Squad who are hungry for success.
As a member of the junior coaching staff, I have
benefitted from the excellent mentoring from the
senior coaches. There are four other junior coaches
who have all worked as a team providing expertise
and knowledge to Kumite Karate in Scotland. These
include: Jim Ross, Steven Adam, Rab Frame, myself
and the newly appointed Martin Douglas. We
welcome the upcoming opportunities to train new
athletes and produce title winners in the future.
SCOTLAND KARATE
One of our proud
junior members
Development In Scotland
We have monthly team pool training sessions held at Ratho, The National Judo Centre, where
talent as young as ten years can attend and once they have been identified, we nurture them
enabling them to compete at international level. Athletes must attend these sessions or risk
being excluded from selection.
When talent has been identified, there is effective communication between coaches to ensure
athletes continue to reach their full potential. If selected for the World/European
Championships, the athletes must train at the allocated sessions usually taking place at the
Sakai Karate Dojo in Kilmarnock, where five time World Champion/European Champion Pat
Mckay learned his exceptional skills under the watchful eye of Sensei David Coulter.
I am personally looking forward to the Junior European Championships to be held in
Bulgaria, where the Scottish youth will shine and I’m confident will return with medals. We
have superb rising talent within the squad including; Adam El Shafei, Johnny Gilmour, Dylan
Rush, James Coulter, Amy Connell, Amy Pollard and Rebecca Craig to name but a few who
have tasted success at European/World level. It’s also great to see my lifelong friend Calum
Robb back competing at senior level and still hungry for medals. (cont...)

16
IPPON MAGAZINE
SCOTLAND KARATE
Here in Scotland we have a good breed of athletes/fighters coming from all Associations. The
SKF always produce top fighters with the Adam family and Hamish still holding the reigns at
the top. All other associations are still hungry for success with the Shitokai, JKS, Yamakai and
don’t forget ‘Big Chris Ewing’, who has an army who are ready to compete and battle
whenever and wherever.
Our Association Sport Karate Sakai (David Coulter MBE/Kris Coulter/Richard Mallinson) are
still producing squad members competing at WKF events. With these Associations all keen
to succeed, it can only be geat for Scottish Karate. I know karate has went full circle as back
in the day 70-80-90s and required a tough mentality and durability while it is now about skill
and speed to compete. The flexibility and range of movement of some of the today’s fighters
is exceptional as they can kick from all angles and is a delight to watch.
Funding in Karate
Athletes of Today in Scotland don’t receive any funding as all trips are self-funded by
association/parents/fund raising etc. This can only get better now we are an Olympic Sport.
I was lucky enough to have been one of the lottery funded athletes in Scotland, when that
opportunity ceased alot of fighters thought it was the end, with work/uni became a priority
for many. Its great that athletes can fight for WKF titles at 14 years but it is a financial burden
for parents as they strive to achieve their dreams. I hope if funding does become available
that It would go on the athletes/coaches (for transport and all fee coverage etc) and not be
spent on hierarchy and admin. In my opinion Britain got left behind for a few years, while
other countries invested in karate and this was reflected as they picked up the medals. These
included: France/Turkey/Italy/Azerbaijan etc and let’s not forget the excellence of Mr Rafael
Aghayev.
The return of the 10k karate clash in London
is amazing for British KARATE as £10,000 to
any athlete in Karate is a massive boost and
a great reward for all the hard work in which
any fighter invests in the sport. It’s also great
for people to see fighters compete for the
biggest prize in karate.
Olympics
I think the inclusion of karate in the Olympics
is fantastic and gives the chance for all
athletes to showcase their talent at the
biggest show of sport in the world. I have
personal hopes and dreams for my two boys
Kory (6year old) and Frankie (3 years old) to
become champions in karate and what
better title than Olympic Champion.
I personally wouldn’t like the set-up of the
four nations becoming a British Team again
as alot of politics could surface. I feel in the
near future Scotland will be Independent
and have a nation of its own which would be
great for Scotland.
World Championships
England has a New World Champion, which
is so well deserved for my wee pal (Wee
Wullie) Jordan Thomas. He has lead from the
front and inspired all athletes in Britain to
achieve their goal. This also comes with the
sad news and resignation of his father
William Thomas from the England Head
Coach position. I am saddened that England
has lost a top coach and a good bloke.
I feel a lot of ex fighters don’t put back into
the sport of karate once their own sporting
career is over, a lot of knowledge could be
shared to allow other to reach their full
potential.
In conclusion I look forward to the
preparations for Tokyo 2020.
Ouss, Kris Coulter(Scotand/Sakai Coach)